Protein Interaction Network

A Protein Interaction Network is a Biological Network that represents Protein-Protein Interaction Relations.

• AKA: Protein Interaction Model.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • a Metabolic Pathway Network, of metabolic pathways.
  • a Gene Regulation Network, of gene regulations.
  • a Organic Neural Network, of an animal brain.
  • a Social Network Model.
• See: Gene, Protein Subcellular Localization.

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References

2011

• (Wikipedia, 2011) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein-protein_interaction
  • Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein components organised by their protein–protein interactions. Protein interactions have been studied from the perspectives of biochemistry, quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, signal transduction and other metabolic or genetic/epigenetic networks. Indeed, protein–protein interactions are at the core of the entire interactomics system of any living cell. And this protein-protein interaction recently also studied in nano-biotechnology region. Interactions between proteins are important for the majority of biological functions. For example, signals from the exterior of a cell are mediated to the inside of that cell by protein–protein interactions of the signaling molecules. This process, called signal transduction, plays a fundamental role in many biological processes and in many diseases (e.g. cancers). Proteins might interact for a long time to form part of a protein complex, a protein may be carrying another protein (for example, from cytoplasm to nucleus or vice versa in the case of the nuclear pore importins), or a protein may interact briefly with another protein just to modify it (for example, a protein kinase will add a phosphate to a target protein). This modification of proteins can itself change protein–protein interactions. For example, some proteins with SH2 domains only bind to other proteins when they are phosphorylated on the amino acid tyrosine while bromodomains specifically recognise acetylated lysines. In conclusion, protein–protein interactions are of central importance for virtually every process in a living cell. Information about these interactions improves our understanding of diseases and can provide the basis for new therapeutic approaches.

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